Lost in a Familiar World
by IronChainDragon
Summary: Cici really should have known better. But she still ended up in Super Paper Mario as one of Count Bleck's minions. Whoops.
1. The Arrival

Dai: I know, this is overdone. Still, couldn't resist.

Tsukaimon: Besides, she needed something to keep her from spazzing over her demo of Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

BlackGatomon: You know the spiel, nothing owned here.

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The girl looked at the present. Super Paper Mario, the game she'd begged for for years. She'd seen walkthroughs of it, watched her friends play it, and now she could have it for herself. Immediately, she ran upstairs and fired up her Wii.

When she started up the disc, the screen went black, as she was expecting it to. Then came the odd part. Her Wii began to talk.

_Cecilia Winterson, do you wish to continue? You may be unable to return._

Now, thinking this was some sort of joke, she laughed. "Of course! I'm not afraid!"

Her last thought when the television sucked her up was that she really should have expected that.

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When she woke up, she was surrounded by members of the Koopa Troop, and she recognized exactly where they were. In other words, the intro to the game.

She eyed a Koopa and a Shy Guy warily, nearly bumping into some others.

"If they don't wake up soon..." The Koopa trailed off.

The Shy Guy laughed, revealing herself to be female. "Kendell, you worry too much. Bowser gets married to Peach, we get our happily ever afters. You can leave the Koopa Troop, while I continue pulverising my enemies."

"I'm not sure it works like that, but fine."

Cecilia wandered towards the back of the crowd, nearly tripping over Luigi, but stopping herself just in time. She was a fangirl, but the polite kind. The kind that didn't trip over their favorite characters if they could help it.

It was about fifteen minutes later when the wedding started, and no one seemed to notice her. When Luigi stomped on the Chaos Heart, she sighed. That had been a bad move. Then she realized exactly what would happen.

She would be forced to join Count Bleck, either of her own free will, or under Nastasia's command. Neither sounded pleasant. Not to mention she might have to interact with Dimentio.

He was a memorable bad guy, and quite funny, however, it was dangerous not to take him seriously. That was the last thing she remembered before the explosion.

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When Cecilia regained consciousness, she told herself to stop getting knocked out so much. Then she remembered the real issue. She was in Castle Bleck. Nastasia would find her any minute if she stayed in one place.

She decided that, given the choice, she'd rather maintain her free will. Sure, they might find out she wasn't really on their side, but better than brainwashing. At least, she kept telling herself that.

It probably didn't help that she had no sense of direction. There wasn't even a way to tell the areas apart. She realized she could be stuck in the maze from the last chapter, and have no way of getting out.

Fortunately, or unfortunately as the case may be, she ran across Nastasia without even trying to.

"Um, you gonna join willingly or be brainwashed?" Apparently, she had been through all this many times before.

"I'll join willingly."

"K. Give me your personal information, swear undying loyalty to Count Bleck, and you're in."

"Fine. My name is Cecilia Winterson, also known as Cici, sixteen years old, born March 18th, and I'm allergic to nuts. Yeah, I'm loyal to Blu-Count Bleck." Nastasia lifted an eyebrow at Cici's mistake, but said nothing.

"K, you're in. Minion rooms are down the hall to the left,K? You can't miss it."

And for once, Cici found someplace without getting lost.

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Well, it wasn't quite that easy. Apparently, there was one hallway for each species, with the more humanoid ones that no one could tell what they were in the human hallway. Well, at least they were being used for something. The rooms, not the minions.

Each hallway had rooms on both sides. One side for the boys, another for the girls. Cici walked into the first one on the girls' side that didn't appear to have anyone in it, and sighed.

It was so drab, just black, white, and the occasional shade of gray or purple. Plopping down on the bed, she decided to figure out exactly what happened.

Well, she was obviously inside her new game. No clue how that had happened. She was also now a minion of Count Bleck. And while she felt sorry for the guy, that didn't mean she wanted to serve him. Not that she had had much of a choice at the time.

A bit later, she saw Nastasia and O'Chunks go by, dragging Luigi, who was still struggling against the brainwashing. Why they hadn't felt the need to stay in the same place, she had no idea.

"What's going on?"

"It's a wee bit confusing, but Nastasia says she's trying something new with the lad."

"New?" So she was curious, naturally. Luigi, meanwhile, had fallen unconcious.

So Nastasia revealed her idea about creating a new personality so that strong emotions might not be enough to jolt the brainwashing. Cici nodded.

"I see. As for the new personality for this guy, how about we call him L? You know, because of his hat. It would make it a bit harder to figure out it's him. They can't be all that bright." Or maybe hanging around Bowser for too long fries your brain cells.

"Lass has a point. New name for new guy." That was honestly the smartest thing O'Chunks had ever said.

"K."

Cici walked back into her room, whispering as she closed the door, just low enough that no one could hear, "I'm sorry, Luigi."

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Dai: This is all that is keeping me from setting Mega Glalie on that Tropius that keeps popping up. Just one more month... Just one more month...


	2. A New Mystery

Dai: I own nothing.

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A few days had past since Cici arrived at Castle Bleck, and one issue was getting her in shape, as she hadn't exactly needed to fight much in her old world. Of course, one issue was her poor sense of direction, which in such a big castle, complete with highly intricate maze, was bound to rear it's ugly head.

Such as now.

"Give it up, L. We don't have teleportation abilities." She and L had been hiding from Nastasia after accidentally blowing a hole in the main room. So maybe fooling around with L's Thunderhand near the radiator hadn't been such a good idea. And it was even worse to encourage him. You guessed it. They were lost.

L shook his head. "If we stay here for long, we have to spend the night in the hallways. If we find our way back too soon, Nastasia kills us."

"L, she isn't that bad. Well, maybe." She and L had become friends from the beginning, mostly because everyone else had a best friend, or was brainwashed. Really. Count Bleck's first four minions were all really tight, and despite sharing a hallway, there weren't that many oppurtunities to chat, since most of the time spent with Mimi was reobtaining her diary from Dimentio. And she was the one they spoke to the most.

Yeah. This is what happens when you join an evil organisation right at the last minute. Okay, so neither of them had a real choice, but still...

"So, how long until someone finds us?"

"Depends. You want it to be a brainwashed minion, or one with the mind to actually help us?"

And, of course, defying all logic, they continued to wander.

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Another hour or so passed. Cici had lost track of time after a bit. It had also grown all the more confusing. It would probably help if the place wasn't all monochrome. Great design choice, Blumiere.

Looking up, she saw L run into an open door, with absolutely no regard for what might actually be behind that door. She just hoped it wasn't a Magiblot training center. They could be quite volatile if disturbed.

It was not. Instead was what seemed to be a storage room for machine parts. She tried not to laugh as L seemed to be in raptures.

"You know, I may be able to work with this."

Cici sighed. "We just got in trouble for messing around with electricity, and you want to do it again?"

"There you are!" They turned at the sound of Nastasia's voice, to see her looking relieved. Cici smiled.

"Hey, Mimi."

Nastasia pouted, before the shapeshifter returned to her normal form. "How did you know it was me?"

"Nastasia doesn't show emotion. And just so you know, pouting doesn't really work on her face."

"Golly, you have no sense of direction, do you? Our rooms are all the way on the other side of the castle."

Normally Cici would have replied, but something caught her eye. There was an old musty book under a table. Picking it up, she turned to Mimi.

"Okay, let's get out of here. L, we can always come back later. Or just grab the stuff."

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Mimi opened the book Cici had brought back with her. "Gee, there's nothing here."

Cici looked at the page. "Really? I see words."

"Well, you're the only one who does," L chimed in, "So maybe only you can read it."

"Interesting..." She mused, before putting the book away. "So, has Nastasia calmed down yet?"

"We were lost for four hours."

"Okay, good point."

When Cici went to bed that night, she couldn't keep her mind off of the book. Eventually, she gave up and opened it.

What she saw changed her life forever.

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Dai: And this is when Cici starts being useful. Despite getting lost repeatedly in her own house.


	3. The Book

Dai: Again, despite getting lost in her own home, Cici can be useful.

Verity: Nothing here is owned by us.

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Cici stared at the first page. This was her chance to shine, the ability that would set her apart from the others. Nastasia could hypnotize, Dimentio had his dimension things, Mimi could shapeshift, L had Super Jump and Thunderhand...

She, apparently, could use ice magic.

_Congratulations. If you can read this, you posess the aptitude for using the power of ice and snow. This magic, while fragile, can hold great possibility for both good and evil._

_Ice magics and light magics often go hand in hand, with wintry abilities having healing capabilities as well as those for violence._

_This is not merely a combative type of magic, but holds the ability to create beauty as well. However, while powerful, these abilities have their weaknesses as well. Those that choose to develop these abilities also tend to develop low tolerance to fire, and can take fewer hits than most._

_If one practices well enough, the vary nature of this magic can be manipulated, like other magics. Once ice magic is mastered, it is possible to learn all other kinds of magic, except for fire magic._

_Magic relates mostly to the mind. If you believe you can do something with your magic, that belief does so. If you choose to learn the powers of ice, this is how it works. No fancy spell slinging, just sheer force of will. That is what magic is truly about._

_Sign the next page, and your magical ice powers will be unlocked. However, learning to control them takes effort. It is not for the faint of heart._

The next page had numerous names put in random places. She took a pen from nowhere (Thanks, video game logic) and carefully wrote out her name. She didn't feel any different, so she put the book away and fell asleep, deciding ot think about it in the morning.

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"Cici... wake up."

Cici shot a glare at her tormentor. "Get out, Dimentio."

"Oh, but Count Bleck has called a meeting, like an important businessperson, and we all know you lack a sense of direction."

SHe sat up and rolled her eyes. "Fine, just leave while I get dressed, please."

When Dimentio did as she asked, she got dressed, and noticed the room was full of cold mist. Of course, she didn't feel cold. Maybe... just maybe... She had been dreaming about winter fog.

Carefully, she closed her eyes and thought about early spring. Suddenly, the fog turned into outright snow and landed on the floor.

"Okay, DImentio. I can go now."

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The meeting room was hard to find if teleporting wasn't an option, so naturally, L wasn't there. It might also have to do with the fact that Nastasia was still mad at him. No clue why she wasn't still mad at Cici, but likely because it wasn't her powers doing it.

"K, so, there appears to be some unnaproved interdimensional activity lately. It might, um, be the hero of prophecy, and we kinda need an action plan for this guy."

"So lemme get this straight. This hero guy, he yer enemy?"

Mimi sighed. "O'Chunks, you big silly! Have you been falling asleep in meetings? Might help if you didn't have muscles instead of brains."

"O'Chunks, you shall fight the heroes, stated Count Bleck." No need to even comment on this one.

"Fine, then. Dimentio, Mimi, Cecilia, come along if you want to witness a good chunkin."

"Well, I do love a good chunking."

Mimi just shook her head. "No, thanks."

"Sorry, can't teleport. Besides, there's something I want to do."

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After about an hour, she found her way to her room again to see that the snow had melted. She took the book from it's spot and opened to the next unread page.

_Now, once these powers have manifested, control is the most important thing to learn, for obvious reasons. The main power of magic comes from the mind. In other words, if you think about it, and the magic can be manipulated to apply to it, it will. Before mastering control, these abilities will manifest at random, with rare moments of being able to change what is already there._

_In order to master magic, concentration is key. If being concentrated is difficult for you, meditation generally works. Another way to help with things such as discipline is to spend a long time around the element. However, depending on your schedule, this may be extremely impractical._

_Therefore, the only surefire way to get better is experience. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect. The longer you use magic, the more open that the magic is to you. This is why most magicians start their craft at a young age._

_However, even if these powers are dangerous, the worst thing possible is to isolate yourself. Speaking with others opens the mind to more possibilities, providing more uses to these powers. Besides that, the more comfortable you are around someone, the less likely these powers are to activate without your own willing it to happen._

Cici shut the book. She heard loud noises from L's room, and wanted to investigate.

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Dai: Again, this is how Cici becomes useful... despite the fact that these powers won't be mastered until at least game chapter three... and we're just getting into game chapter one.


	4. Practice Gone Wrong

Dai: The things I do so I don't develop teleportation at the wrong time...

Vee-Vee: You can teleport? Since when?

Verity: We're the same person. If I have the ability to learn teleportation, than so can she.

BlackGatomon: We don't own anything.

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"L... what are you doing?"

"Making blueprints."

"For what?"

"Robots."

Mostly, L was good for sarcasm, or a good retort. Not when concentrating on something. Then it was more of asking for the wrench or just being concise. When he was like this, Cici gave up on trying to get much from him. It just wouldn't happen.

Two days had passed since O'Chunks went out to fight the heroes, and he wasn't back yet. Made her wonder what he was doing. She didn't have to worry about Dimentio, since he had a tendency of popping up, so long as he knew where O'Chunks was and could teleport there.

Of course, she wouldn't dare ask Dimentio for updates, simply because she didn't trust him. And for good reason. She knew his plans. The thing was, saying anything would get her killed.

She had been working on her ice magic, and had made little progress. All she could really do was lower the temperature by a few degrees. At least that was something. Even though it only affected five centimeters around her...

Okay, so she needed some practice. Turning around, she went into her room to make an attempt at something resembling progress.

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It wasn't that easy. It was exhausting to attempt making ice while controlling it. The best that had happened was when she was in a fit of temper, if you could call freezing the door shut good.

Well, she'd obviously be stuck there, unless she miraculously figured out how to make it melt. Or maybe she could convince Mimi to use her Bowser transformation. Turning to her book, she flipped it open to a random page.

_Ice created with magic is not as sensitive to heat as normal ice, enabling it to be used as a barrier. However, it is brittle, and may not hold for long. If you are irritated when casting it, it may become stronger. Use wisely._

Well... not good then. Sighing, she began hitting the barrier, deciding that this would at least help with her poor physical strength. After all, one could not rely on magic all the time, unless one was Dimentio.

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One hour later, she was still hacking at the ice. When others bullied her for being weak, they weren't kidding. Add that to a poor sense of direction, and she was flat out a liability until she was under control.

"Hey, you need any help?"

"L? That you?"

"You forgot my voice after three hours. Flattering."

"Look, L, just help me."

"Fine. Honestly, Cici, how do you get yourself into these things? Maybe I'll just get Mimi to teleport you out."

"Hurry up! It's almost time to eat!"

Of course, L didn't return with Mimi until it was time to eat. Good thing Mimi could teleport.

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Lunch. That monotonous time of day in Castle Bleck when everyone was in a line to grab what they wanted, or in the case of the brainwashed, who happened to be the majority, what they needed to get through to dinner.

Note that Cici was not part of the majority. Neither was Mimi. For L, it was... complicated. Let's just put him with the minority for now, shall we? Otherwise, it gets confusing.

So, Cici grabbed a sandwich and wandered over to the normal table, the one thing she could ever find with great consistency. L and Mimi normally joined her there, as by that point in the day, Dimentio had normally stolen Mimi's diary and gotten on her bad side.

Which was why Dimentio never ate in the cafeteria. Having her turn into her true form tended to do bad things for the apetite. Especially if you were eating something with a poor consistency already.

The game had not sugarcoated things in that regard. It was terrifying. Cici made the mistake of watching once, and was not able to eat for the rest of the day.

This day, however, nothing could go wrong. Hopefully. She turned and called to L and Mimi.

"Come on!" As a reponse, Mimi grabbed L and teleported over to the table.

"You know, that isn't the answer to everything, even if Dimentio says so."

"And Grambi forbid you listen to Dimentio about anything." L had a point. Cici really wasn't on good terms with Dimentio, for obvious reasons.

Cici shook her head. "I wonder how O'Chunks is doing."

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Meanwhile, in Lineland, O'Chunks was being held up at a Squiglet crossing. One spotted him, sounded an alarm, and all the monsters were after him. Sure, he was strong enougth to neat them withought much difficulty, but still...

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Dai: And we end on a funny note, at O'Chunks' expense.


End file.
